Tuesday, March 13, 2012

A few months ago I started "playing around" with Pinterest, but soon enough I realized there weren't any *good* WordPress plugins. The only plugins available were front-end (for the website visitor to pin images), but none of them made it easier for the site owner. That's when I came up with the idea for WP Pinner.

2. The response seems to be high with this plugin. Did you expect such buzz about your plugin?

I was hoping for it - especially since Pinterest seemed to be "booming". Everybody was writing about it! But even so you can't control these kind of things so I guess I've been lucky (being mentioned on sites like Mashable & The Next Web etc).

3. What's the best way to get WP Pinner?

Currently only the early ones and the ones that referred enough people have access to the plugin, the rest will have to be a bit more patient.

4. When do you expect WP Pinner to be available openly?

I'm hoping next month.

5. Is there anything special we should know about you or your WordPress plugin?

Monday, March 12, 2012

The rift between social network giant Facebook and search
engine Yahoo heats up with the latter lodging a complaint against the former
for patent infringement related to a variety of Web technologies.

In its complaint filed in the Federal District Court in San Jose, California,
Yahoo claimed that Facebook knowingly and improperly committed a violation of
its core intellectual properties. The patents issued from 1999 to 2010 covered
advertising, social networking, privacy, customization, and messaging. In
February, Yahoo already gave a warning to Facebook regarding a possible patent
suit.

The latest patent suit is nothing new in Silicon
Valley especially in the smartphone industry. In 2011, Google paid
$12.5 billion to Motorola Mobility for breaching its intellectual property. The
latest complaint is the first to hit social networking sites. The newest legal
battle comes in the thick of Yahoo’s most difficult time. The company had just
appointed its new chief executive a couple of months back. Aside from that, it
has been struggling to increase its advertising revenue and gain back its lost
profit from rival Google and Facebook.

Ironically, Facebook and Yahoo have shared a long time
relationship with each other. One such collaboration is the integration of
Facebook’s news activity feature into its site. As a result, Yahoo’s traffic
from Facebook account holders increased by 300 percent in the last quarter of
2011 alone. But this relationship can be tainted in an expected long legal
battle.

Yahoo said that they have invested so much time and
resources in research and development resulting to licensed patents. A company
spokesman said that they have no recourse but to seek redress through a Federal
court with the confidence that they will win the battle.

On the part of Facebook, a company representative said that they
are disappointed with Yahoo for their recent action. After having been a
longtime business partner and gaining substantial benefits from their
association, the search engine company resorted to litigation. Facebook said
that it will defend itself against these complaints.

Facebook’s social network model lets users create profiles
and establish connections with person’s and businesses is derived from Yahoo’s
social networking technology. Facebook had the belief that Yahoo would try to
resolve the matter without resorting to lawsuits.

The newest lawsuit brings back memories of Yahoo’s decision
to sue Google prior to its flotation in 2004. The lawsuit delved around patents
which it acquired after taking over Overture. To resolve the issue, Google
issued 2.7 million shares to Yahoo.